Field hockey: Rondout Valley falls in overtime 2-1 to Hoosic Falls in C regional final
ACCORD — Rondout Valley knew it had a tall order in Sunday's state Class C regional final.
After all, despite playing at home, it was facing Section 2 champion Hoosick Falls, which had been to the state final in both 2021 and 2022 and entered Sunday's game with a 19-0 record.
But for four quarters, little separated the two squads.
But then came 7-vs-7 overtime.
By any name — sudden-victory or sudden-death -- it is do or die. First goal wins.
And that goal — off a high, hard blast through a partial screen — belonged to Hooick Falls senior MacKenna Roberson.
Roberson, who's expected to play basketball in college, sent her Panther team back to the Final 4 with that shot, which came with 6:54 left in overtime.
What it means
Making the state semifinals, the Panthers will face a familiar opponent in Section 4's Whitney Point, which has handily beaten it the past two years in the state championship game.
That game will be played Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Centereach High School on Long Island.
Rondout Valley, which shut out Taconic Hills 8-0 in the Section 9 Class C championship game and had a bye in the regional semifinal, finished the season 16-2-1.
Key plays
Rondout Valley took a 1-0 lead into the half after junior Lauren Schoonmaker scored , tipping an Olivia Waruch shot up into the cage with 1:43 left in the second quarter.
A big turning point in the game came with 1:58 left in the third quarter when Hoosick Falls knotted the score 1-1 off a penalty corner with Tatum Hickey scoring.
That appeared to energize Hoosic Valley, although the Panthers also had their offensive chances.
Ava Kasulinous, who had a superb defensive game for Hoosic Valley, had a beautiful stop of a crossing pass by Gander Joleigh Kozack.
Moments later, Kasulinous made a defensive save.
The Panthers had a big opportunity to win the game earlier in the overtime but Rondout Valley keeper Sienna Sergio made a fine stop, charging out at Hickey, who'd gotten free on a short breakaway.
That occurred less than two minutes before Roberson rocketed her game-winning shot to Sergio's right.
That play followed a free hit awarded to Hoosick Valley after Waruch made a good stop on a Hoosick Valley penalty-corner shot.
Sergio had eight saves for the Ganders.
Bell Stefanovich had three saves for Hoosick Valley, which had blanked Section 1's North Salem 4-0 to reach Sunday's regional final.
They said it
The junior Schoonmaker, who has been on varsity since eighth grade, liked that her team didn't alter its play after Hoosick Falls tied the score.
"We stayed up and we worked on everything we've been practicing all year," she said.
Schoonmaker also attributed her team's success in part to its camaraderie.
"We're so close. Everyone on the team is like family," she said.
"It was a huge boost momentum-wise," Hoosick Valley coach Denise Campbell said of her squad's third-quarter goal.
"Our coach is always going over these plays," Roberson said of her game-winning shot, noting she had fired on net seeing the screen created by the traffic in front.
Roberson has played in both state championship losses to Whitney Point but thinks her team is better this year.
"I think the third time might be the charm," she said of their upcoming semifinal game. "We're just hoping to bring it home this time."
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Field hockey: Rondout Valley falls to Hoosick Valley in OT in regional
